End of Love

This story follows the love of two men, who found each other and fell in love. Tragedy strikes and the main character looks back on the love they had, the fights, the hard time they had being together because they were gay. The story is set in a fictional small town in the Midwest. The love the two have, the troubles they face, prove that love conquers all.

James, the main character, goes back through each chapter to look back on the relationship he had with Hunter. He tries to look at the worth of all the heartbreak of being gay in a small town, and having the love they shared over so quickly.

1. Fortunate Son

A tie seemed simple enough to pick out. For normal people, a tie seemed simple enough, but not today for James. He stared into the unlit closet, peering in where the sun hit just a few of the ties that lined the back. The sunlight peeking

through brightly shone on two ties in particular; a red tie and blue. These two ties were the first two he had ever worn on

his dates. The tiniest smile creeped onto his pale and solemn face as he shakily reached forward, rubbing both ties

between his fingers. If spirits existed, he wouldn't put it past Hunter to bend sunlight, picking out a simple tie for him. It's

what he did. James hadn't been the type to wear a tie, but either was Hunter. The difference was, as much of a manly

man as Hunter could be, somehow he had better fashion sense than James. Where James was comfortable in a tee

shirt and jeans, Hunter wanted to look casual, but still sophisticated. He certainly didn't want to try too hard.

Those thoughts crossed James' mind as he decided on the blue tie, slowly picking it out of the closet and putting it

loosely around his neck. He then noticed the sweat and sighed, grabbing a tissue out of the box on the oak dresser

. Wiping the sweat away, he closed the closet door with his foot and peered into full length mirror. He looked old, like he

aged 30 years from yesterday. His eyes were red and puffy, he looked pale and tired. The man honestly hadn't had more

then 4 hours of sleep over the last two days. Messing with his hair, he tried to at least appear acceptable. Right now, that

seemed an impossible task. Just as he had gotten his hair where he wanted it, a breeze came through the window

messing with his previous work. James simply shook his head and put it back in place again. He then noticed a tear fall

down his right cheek and onto his crisp white shirt, as his mind started to wander back.

need to wear a tie....". His mother came over and offered a warm smile, grabbing the ends of the tie and tying them

together. "You know...your father didn't know how to tie one of these either." She gently finished it and patted the knot with her hand after giving a deep breath. "There you go. You look nice, James...".

As James glanced in the mirror, for a moment, he thought he saw Hunter behind him, staring back at him. It took his

breath away and he looked over his shoulder. There was no one there, of course, except for his mother. She looked at

him with concern. She wasn't always accepting of this relationship, not until the past few months to be honest. It wasn't

until James started talking of marriage, of moving away from the town to get away from the unacceptance of his friends,

family and townspeople, that she finally realized how serious the two were. They had a long conversation with one

another where she offered James and Hunter her blessing. It was one of the best days of James' life. He looked over at

her and she put her arms out, offering her son a hug he looked like he so desperately needed. "He would think you look

handsome, James.....and he loved you...." James looked back at her, a tear rolling down his face, realizing how blessed

he had turned out be. Despite the hard road it took to get to this place, he was here. He knew more than anything, Hunter